


lovebug

by chlodine



Series: from tumblr [8]
Category: Uncharted (Video Games)
Genre: F/F, just sick of it!, nadines sick, of not being able to make out w chloe without having to sneeze
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-15
Updated: 2019-05-15
Packaged: 2020-03-05 19:32:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,529
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18835294
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chlodine/pseuds/chlodine
Summary: “I was tying my shoelaces, dickhead.”Chloe snorts and points at her boots. “You’re not even done.”“Someone,” Nadine says, squinting at Chloe, “was rushing me.”





	lovebug

**Author's Note:**

> lovebug by jonas bros whew!
> 
> sorry i died

Chloe’s mum lives in the countryside, in a modest house painted white and surrounded by well-tended shrubbery. The windows are blue, matching with the picket fence. It's picturesque.

It’s nestled on the fringes of a rural village, but the area is small enough that it would take between half an hour to an hour to go from one end to the other. The grocery store is a brisk ten-minute walk away, and it’s April, so the weather’s cooling down from the sweltering Australian heat.

That’s why she figured they could walk instead of taking her mum’s truck.

She failed to consider the fact that when Nadine was even remotely unwell, she got irritable and pouty.

Right now, she’s suffering from a very mild case of the common cold and is just  _not_ having it. 

“China,” Chloe says, hands on her hips as she waits for Nadine to stomp up to her. “How the hell does a cold affect your walking speed?”

Nadine rolls her eyes. “I was tying my shoelaces, dickhead.”

Chloe snorts and points at her boots. One shoelace undone, the other double knotted. “You’re not even done.”

“ _Someone_ ,” Nadine says, squinting at Chloe, “was rushing me.”

“Oh, someone who cares about efficiency. Sounds like your kind of woman.”

“Efficient? You?” Nadine mutters, too loud to actually wound, and stubbornly storms down the sidewalk. It's adorable, actually. 

“Rude!” Chloe doesn’t even try to hide her endeared grin as she jogs to catch up with Nadine. “Come on, love. You’re gonna trip and break something. I’ll even tie it for you.”

Nadine stops, mouth opening to say something, but cuts off when Chloe bends and makes quick work of her laces.

In one smooth move, Chloe stands and wraps her arms around Nadine’s middle. “Grumpy princess.”

“That’s charming,” Nadine deadpans.

“That’s me.”

A soft wind blows springs of Nadine’s hair across her forehead. Her ponytail is messier than usual, sloppier, and her lips are pouted ever so slightly.

Chloe finds everything about the scene so goddamn heart melting. She can’t help but dart forward to peck Nadine’s cheek, poking Nadine’s nose afterwards. Nadine hums in disgruntled satisfaction and lets Chloe tug her along to the grocery store.

They don’t talk much along the way, both content with just walking, hand-in-hand, shoulder-to-shoulder. Once they get there, Chloe produces a short shopping list from her back pocket and squints at the items. As she takes stock of everything, Nadine branches off to grab a basket. When she returns, Chloe has a box of cereal under her arm.

Nadine holds the basket out and says, bluntly, “I can’t breathe.”

“The pharmacy’s just next door. We’ll stop by there when we’re done.” Chloe tosses the box in and blinks at Nadine who only sniffs, jaw clenching. Her stuffy nose must be getting worse. Sighing, she smiles softly and reaches a hand out to rub her thumb along Nadine’s cheekbone. 

Reflexively, Nadine tilts her head into Chloe’s palm. It’s kind of embarrassing but she doesn't move away. She grimaces again and readjusts her grip on the basket. “Hurry up, then.”

Chloe laughs, sweeping out the aisle to the dairy section. “Efficient. A woman after my heart.”

“I already have it,” Nadine gripes.

“That you do.”

Nadine usually does the shopping with Chloe when they visit her mum, so she’s familiar with the layout of the grocery store, and they get the shopping done in under five minutes.

At the register, Nadine smiles tightly, only to have Chloe snort and shoo her away.

After everything’s paid for and bagged, Chloe steps out to find Nadine leaning against a parking meter, fiddling around on her phone.

“Hey,” Chloe says, gesturing to the pharmacy.

As she brushes by Nadine yanks two of the three plastic bags out of Chloe’s hands.

“Hey!”

Nadine grins. “A cold doesn’t affect my ability to carry things.”

Chloe pulls a face at her. “Seems like you’re in a better mood.”

“Ja, I am,” Nadine says, almost bashful were it not for the stuffy quality of her voice.

Chloe digs out her wallet to pay again—they share their money and Nadine’s left her wallet at home—and slips the box of pills in her grocery bag.

This time, in better spirits, Nadine keeps up a better pace home and laughs through their usual banter. Chloe slips her free hand around Nadine’s bicep at one point, clinging on for the rest of the way.

The front door’s left open when they come through the wooden gate, and the sound of crackly Michael Jackson songs come filtering through the screen door.

“Mum?” Chloe yells, kicking her shoes off and taking the plastic bags out of Nadine’s hands.

“You’re home!” 

Nadine’s still leaning against the walls trying to untie her laces when Chloe’s mum materialises at the top of the stairs.   
She’s a spritely woman, face paved with laughter lines and framed by loose strands of dark brown hair. Chloe’s habit of tying her hair in incredibly impractical loose ponytails was learned from her mother. Other similarities being their grey-ish eyes and the accent, of course. The apple really doesn’t fall far from the tree.

“Hi, Ms Frazer,” Nadine manages to say before she gets her boot off and makes a triumphant noise from the back of her throat.

“Your cold’s not getting any better?” Chloe’s mum asks in a way that sounds like a statement. She’s a worrier to the highest degree. “Did you stop by the–-"

“The pharmacy, yeah, mum,” Chloe says, shaking the box of pills in her hand.

Chloe’s mum rolls her eyes. “Don’t interrupt me.”

“I was–-"

“See how it feels?”

“Really?”

Nadine laughs at Chloe’s expense, but she’s instantly forgiven when she rounds the island and grapples Chloe from behind, tucking her face into the crook of Chloe’s neck. “What were you saying about rude earlier, hartjie?”

“Hush, you,” Chloe mumbles, still slightly peeved at her mum.

Now, Chloe’s mum snickers and glances up at the two as she sorts through the groceries. “Nadine, sweetie, were you being crabby?”

“She pouted,” Chloe says before Nadine can pick her up and drag her away.

Nadine makes a sound of indignation, but she’s cut off when Chloe twists in her arms and kisses her so chastely, she barely registers it.

For a brief second, Nadine’s smiling herself silly. It falls away as quickly as it appeared. “That’s disgusting.” 

At that, Chloe’s mum looks up again and wrinkles her nose. “Oh, really? She’s sick. Could you not have waited a day or two for her to get better?”

“Everybody’s a bloody critic,” Chloe mumbles under her breath, slinging her arms over Nadine’s shoulders and leaning back into the island. “You kiss me all the time when I’m covered in muck.”

“Only when I’m also covered in muck.”

“If you two are just gonna do that for the rest of the day, at least multitask and put the groceries away.” Her mum nudges a bag closer. A carton of milk digs into Chloe’s back. “Or, my dear lazy daughter, do it yourself and let your wife rest up. That way you two might actually cuddle up without a germ infestation at some point.”

And with that, she pushes away from the counter and breezes out of the kitchen, towards the backyard.

“Love you,” Chloe calls after her mum’s retreating form. Her mum waves a hand over her shoulder.

“Yeah, yeah. You too.”

Once the door clicks shut, Chloe refocuses her attention to Nadine.

“Maybe you _should_ be resting,” she suggests, shifting around so she can accommodate Nadine’s decision to rest her head against Chloe’s sternum. That’s the plus side of being taller than Nadine; Nadine likes to use her as a prop.   
She grins into the frizz of hair that brushes against her chin, having fallen out of Nadine’s ponytail. It’s no secret she loves this softer side of Nadine.

“I can do it,” Nadine insists, flapping a lazy hand in the general direction of the groceries.

“You’re basically sleeping on me, only vertically.”

There’s a pause. Chloe almost manages to convince herself that Nadine has, in fact, fallen asleep on her while standing.   
Except, Nadine straightens up abruptly, back ramrod straight, and picks up a box of butter.

Chloe misses the warmth, but she pushes it away so she can glare at Nadine without making moon eyes.

“Come now, love, I can put it away myself.” Chloe pries the butter away from Nadine. “Just rest. If you’re better tomorrow, I’ll make out with you till your lips fall off.”

“You need to work on your dirty talk.”

“First of all, _sleep_.” Chloe counts off on her fingers. “Secondly, you know that’s not true. Lastly, again, sleep. Just go upstairs. Please. I’ll catch up when I’m done down here.”

Nadine doesn’t seem particularly happy with this, but her silence tells Chloe that she’s considering it.   
Finally, she sighs and drops her shoulder.

“If you get sick too, it’s your fault.” She grabs the sides of Chloe’s head and tugs her lower, pressing a kiss to her forehead.

“I’ll take full responsibility,” Chloe promises, prodding Nadine away. “Now go.”

Afterwards, they sleep till morning.

**Author's Note:**

> chlodine tag makes me very very sad please drop tll2 @naughty dog


End file.
